How many are there to collect from Toadette? I ask because it's extremely tedious collecting them 1 by 1. I've talked to her at least 10 times in a row, and it feels like its never ending. I ended up just walking away from her because it was too tedious. It'd be good to know how many there are to collect from her so it won't feel like an eternity. Reply0

I think the Blue Shell should stay, but be limited in its distribution to the first 2 laps. It's just too frustrating to be blue shelled on the finish line. Any other time, I'm good with because it gives me time to catch back up.

Otherwise, I do like the function of the blue shell. For example, if you're really far ahead, it's often not because you're playing really well, but because players in the "mid pack" are hitting each other and not you since you're too far away. There needs to be a function to hit the distant first place. Blue shell is a nice way of reducing that gap. Furthermore, there is some tactics involved if you're in first, but not very far in first. You can slow down and let 2nd take the hit. It's quite fun playing these mind games, and it also keeps you on your toes.

But these tactics and functions go out the window when you get hit on the last lap, since if you do get hit, it's game over, there's no coming back - which is not fun. Reply0

I'd just like to add that it doesn't really require more processing power to render in HDR. Most graphics rendering is done in HDR, which is then converted to an 8-bit format for display. The main thing here is that the new Xbox will just keep it in HDR for HDR displays. So it's nice to see support for HDR, but it's really dependent on the display technology and how widely adopted it is. Reply+9

I still don't even have an SSD in my PC. They're still too expensive. Though I will probably get one during my next re-build. Probably a small one to supplement my HDD, and load key software such as the OS onto the SSD. But that's just telling of how pricey it is, and I'm sure the console manufacturers would refer to keep parts cheap. Reply0

@Gamblix I think it's the opposite. If it were going to be part of Smash, then they would've done it as part of the Smash line of amiibo. The fact that it isn't tells me that Shovel Knight definitely won't be part of Smash now. Reply0

@Big-Boss Not necessarily. "no badge" might mean the reviewer acknowledges a good or bad game when he or she sees one, but personally is unsure on whether or not to recommend it. Instead, the reviewer will simply state their experience with the game in the written review. Reply0

I played the Half-Life series for the first time within the last year. I bought a bundle in Steam which has HL 1, 2, the two episodes, and all the other mods.

I played through HL1, 2 and the episodes in order. And I've gotta say, it's a truly amazing franchise. Personally, I think HL 1 was the best of the bunch. It felt like it held true to a certain atmosphere it was going for - It was a claustrophobic feeling and I felt like I was trapped underground, and yet I kept digging down further. It was also awesome to get that feeling of classic shooters in the game, which is totally forever lost in modern shooters.

So I found my experience to be interesting. I'm not a huge FPS fan, but I still like to play them on occasion. I'm also playing a franchise (which is held by many as one of the greatest) a lot later than most people. So I'm not tainted by nostalgia when I recall my experience with this game. With this in mind, I can attest to that this franchise is a truly great one.

Also I'd like to say that I'm not a big story person. I love games for gameplay. And this game totally nailed it. The story was an interesting aside and there weren't many cinematics forced on me. So I must particularly tip my hat to Valve for the beautiful game design. Reply+6

@Sapporodan Well there are already other karts that are based on "real" cars in MK8. Quite a few of them actually. So the addition of other real cars doesn't change anything. The only thing new here is an actual logo on the hood, which is hardly a big deal. Reply+1

Nothing against Naughty Dog or The Last of Us, but there should have been backwards compatibility from the start (and thus removing the need for this game's existence). When you get a new console, you shouldn't be left with an awkward in between phase of keeping both the PS3 and PS4 just to keep your existing library alive. Especially for recently released games like The Last of Us which you still might be playing.

So this game just gets me more annoyed at Sony (not the developer Naughty Dog necessarily). Reply0